From a tree house village, to underground caves and a mini streetscape, Londoners are getting their first glimpse of what the new London Children's Museum will hold.
Museum officials revealed four new conceptual renderings of their future location at 100 Kellogg Lane on Friday. The creation of the renderings and the museum's master plan by Gyroscope Inc., a California based exhibit design firm, was a six month process that saw a number of Londoners weigh in.
"We reached out into the community and asked lots of questions, asked for feedback from community members, from community partners, children, and families to make sure that this was a children's museum that was really reflective of London," said Children's Museum Executive Director Amanda Conlon. "We took those responses and embedded them into the process and translated that back for the new vision for the Children's Museum."
The museum announced plans in May to move to the 33,000 square foot space on the fourth floor of the former Kellogg factory. The space allows for an open concept learning experience that is accessible for all kids, a rooftop outdoor area, and ample parking.
As laid out by the master plan, the future museum will feature eight different zones to explore everything from the stars in the sky, to the dirt on the ground.
"All of the areas are immersive and interactive," said Conlon. "There is a stream that is going to run through it, there is going to be places for digging for dinosaur bones, a place where you will be able to go explore treetop canopies, a place where you really can experiment, test and tinker in the maker space. There is an opportunity for all kinds of diverse learning for kids and really be able to experience the Children's Museum in a way that is accessible to all children."
Carol Johnston, who founded the museum in 1975, was on hand for Friday's big reveal and said she is quite excited about the new designs.
"It's a natural evolution. It's a growth of what we started and it will suit today's children and our community," said Johnston. "I am thrilled and in awe of how they have taken our seeds and helped them grow."
The reimagined Children's Museum will cost $14 million and won't be completed until 2021. Architectural planning, exhibit design, and custom exhibit fabrication work still needs to be done and is expected to take roughly three years.
The museum is a registered charity which sees around 80,000 children and their families come through its doors each year, 50 per cent of which are tourists visiting the city. It contributes roughly $4.5 million into the local economy annually.
Updates about the new Children's Museum can be found at staycuriouslondon.ca.
